Wolves of the Blue Moon Story
by Fullmetal.Alchemist.Fan
Summary: Chapters in chapter 1 and 2 aren't seperate...5 chapters in part one, and 3 chapters in part two...I don't think I'm gonna finish this anytime soon...please just read if you're bored as hell...and I mean seriously bored as hell, not just a whiner...
1. Part 1: Chapters 1 through 4

_Based on __.com_

Chapter One  
~A Sign~

_Drip, drop… _Droplets of water fell into a circular pond resembling the Earth from a melting icicle hanging from a looming cliff. Shadows draped themselves over cave entrances, and leaves produced whispering murmurs on the swift wind. Two blue eyes glowed from the edge of the clearing, watching and waiting. _Drip, drop…_The droplets seemed to be flowing unsteadily from the icicle, as if they were alive and rushing to join their frozen friends in the pond. _Drip, drop…_Those blue eyes drew closer, and a white paw rose from the undergrowth. _Drip, drop…_The full moon shone down on the body that emerged from the dark foliage that encircled the moonlit clearing. The droplets now veered off from their usual course, dancing through the air and spiraling upwards, towards the sky, then taking a devastating drop towards the barren ground, rising up at the last second and then dancing around the furry body. _Drip, drip, drip…drop._

A gray-and-white husky stared up at the full moon, a wistful look in his eyes. Flies buzzed angrily around him, while crickets leapt over and under his tail and paws. The toast-colored streaks separating the grays and whites on his clean pelt glistened with saliva from the recent cleaning his mother gave him. "Taiki!" a sweet, soft voice called from behind him. The husky whipped around, taking in a sharp breath. "Taiki!" the motherly voice repeated. "Yes, Mom?" Taiki, the young male husky, replied in annoyance. "Sachiko!" a rough, male voice interrupted the mother's sharp intake of breath. Sachiko, Taiki's mother, barked, "Come in for dinner! I know it's late, but I bet you're hungry!" "No, I'm fine!" Taiki slurred, then directed his icy blue eyes at the moon once more. He retreated to the random thoughts that swam around in his head, blocking out Sachiko's urgent, angry call, "Come in for dinner _NOW_!" Picking one thought, Taiki rolled it around in his head before thinking, _Why am I alive anyway? _It was a negative question, but Taiki knew he came from a line of wolves that lived in a region called NightPack. His great-grandfather was captured and put in a zoo, resulting in Taiki's place in the Caracas Zoo, in the center of Venezuela. It was cold some nights, hot some days, not too much for Taiki's pelt to handle. "TAIKI!!!" his father, named Psou, shouted from the cavern. Taiki was quickly pulled out of his thoughts as he tripped over his own paws on his way to the cavern, where his parents and sister (Kasey) awaited him.

An old, decrepit, gray, black, and white female wolf stared at the barrier of thorns and wilted roses from the center of a hay-covered clearing, narrowed eyes scanning the dark area. A white paw shone from the gloom, and the old wolf's face brightened. "Tundra, welcome back," she rasped. The white wolf named Tundra blinked her bright blue eyes, which were now warm with affection for the old wolf, "Thank you, Moonlight." "My daughter, how did it go?" Moonlight got up from her spot in the hay and strutted slowly towards her kin. Tundra grinned lovingly, "I met Fang, and he told me about Taiki." "Taiki. Just what I wanted to hear," Moonlight slurred evilly, "What did my father say?" "Fang said he would be one of NightPack, and thinks he is a NightPack descendant. Also, Taiki is a husky, like Gray," Tundra barked slowly, watching for Moonlight's expression. The old female wolf hung her head, "_Huskies_. Pah." Spitting on the ground, Moonlight paced, wise yet without words. "Why are huskies bad, Moonlight?" Tundra watched her mother with confusion, "You let Carlisle's sister marry a husky! Why can't a husky come to NightPack and fulfill their destiny?" "I never said anything about that," Moonlight averted her eyes. Tundra lowered her eyes as well, "Good night, Moonlight."  
"Good night."

Chapter Two  
~An Idyllic Day Gone Wrong~

Taiki watched as the gatekeeper carefully crawled into the cage, eyes flickering back and forth mischievously. Closing the gate and locking it with his keys, the timid man tiptoed forward, approaching Taiki with meat in hand. The Venezuelan husky snarled and bared his teeth in a warning. His ears flat against his head, Taiki narrowed his eyes as the man took one step closer. "Here, Taiki, Taiki, Taiki," the gatekeeper whispered. Taiki barked loudly, causing the crowd behind to jump in fear. "Taiki," the man waved the slab of meat in the air. Taiki watched it with untrusting eyes. "T-t-t-taiki," the gatekeeper-named Bob-danced closer to the husky, teeth chattering in rising fear. Taiki stood up, which gained "_Ooooh_"s from the watching crowd that peered through the bars of the cage. "T-" was all Bob got out of his mouth before Taiki jumped forward and snarled viciously, drooling convulsively from his sharp-toothed, robust jaws. Bob shrieked and made a mad dash for the gate, which he amazingly leapt over. Then, the gatekeeper continued on through the zoo, zigzagging through the surprised crowds of families and friends. Taiki chuckled to himself, amused from yet another event of scaring the gatekeeper Bob, who was a big fan of the zookeeper, Charles, his older brother. Bob and Charles were from America, and they had worked in Newfoundland, Canadian, and English zoos. Unfortunately, they were now working in Venezuela. Sachiko and Psou watched angrily from the cavern entrance, while Kasey marched right up to her little brother. "What did you just do?" she snarled accusingly as the crowd started to disperse and go to other attractions. "It's fun, duh," Taiki smirked, "Try it sometime." "No! We only have one meal a day because of you!" Kasey took a fake swipe at him, then she stormed off towards her parents. Taiki shouted after her, "Spoiled brat!" and trotted angrily to a corner of the cage. Why did Kasey always have to shout at everything he did?! Suddenly, something rusty gray flashed above him, and Taiki jumped back to snarl at a gray wolf. He was twice his size, and had a timid air to him, but a loyal and defensive one. He would fight whether they liked it or not. Taiki narrowed his eyes, "Who _are _you?" He didn't expect a "civilized" answer from the wolf-after all, wolves don't know dog-language, and they're wild bums, right? Taiki found he was wrong as the wolf straightened his posture, now towering above the young dog, "_You _are coming with _us_." "What…?" Taiki's eyes went blank as he studied the frazzled wolf. With unkempt fur and wild eyes, he looked like he was just struck by lightning. His thought actually came true as a large lightning bolt struck Taiki's right forepaw, smashing the bones inside to smithereens and burning his fur. The gray wolf snatched Taiki up by the scruff faster than he could follow, and zigzagged around the clearing, also keeping a watch on the curious yet wary people who wandered outside the cage. Psou, Sachiko, and Kasey spilled out of the cave, eyes wide with shock. "Get inside!" the wolf shouted, his deep voice amazingly overpowering the crackle of the thunder as a lightning bolt just missed them. Taiki looked up at the sky instinctively, and saw a red-eyed, brown wolf with black streaks and a peppered muzzle, floating in the middle of the air and sneering at the wolf and Taiki. "Come back here, Natt!" the streaked wolf cackled, "You know I'll catch you!" "Never!" the gray wolf named Natt replied fiercely. He skidded to a stop and threw Taiki on his back, then shot a beam of ice at the streaked wolf. The wolf changed into a falcon and neatly dodged it, then dived at Taiki. Natt growled and whipped his thick tail at the falcon, and the bird dodged the feeble attack without a hit to his large, feathery body. As the falcon soared upwards faster than a bullet, he changed into a tawny lion and whipped around, barring his fangs and snarling viciously at Natt and Taiki. Natt stepped forward and snarled back. The lion pounced, and tossed Natt up like he was a ball of yarn. Natt ended up flipping in the air, uncontrollably, and careening back towards the earth. At this, the lion made a grab for Taiki, but Natt shot a lightning bolt at the lion's paw, and the big cat hissed in anger and recoiled. Natt dashed towards Taiki and scooped him up in his jaws, then leapt over the fence, sprinting away from Taiki's family and the lion with the singed paw. "But my family-" Taiki argued. "He's too interested in you to _care _about your family. Maybe he'll kill them," Natt said carelessly. "But-my mom! And my dad!" Taiki argued. "And your sister," Natt reminded him. "They need help!" Taiki tried to snap at Natt's neck, but the wolf's body was too far away for Taiki to reach. Plus, the ferns got stuck up his nose and whipped at his eyes if he moved. "We can come back at nightfall, with other wolves," Natt snarled, thinking this ended the conversation. "There are _more _of you dog-speaking freaks?!" Taiki's eyes widened with disbelief. "Dogs came from wolves. End of story, or you'll lead the way," the male wolf snapped. Taiki didn't take his chances with his shattered paw, so he kept quiet the rest of the way, trying to leave a piece of fur on every fern so he could find his way back. After all, his reputation wasn't going to be ruined by a bunch of light-spewing wolves. Then again, if he left, they might smash him with one bite! _Nevermind, then_, Taiki silently grumbled as they broke through a barrier of thorns and wilted roses, and back into the sunlight. Many wolves were eating right now, and they looked up at Taiki, as if they were used to Natt bringing in stray huskies. Bigger wolves lay in the shade in what seemed to be large, hollow caves made of hay, straw, and wilting roses. A gray-and-white female with a black stripe running from her nose to her tailtip approached Natt and Taiki, while a white female followed close behind, blue eyes shining. "Who's this?" the first female grunted sourly, yellow eyes narrowed. Taiki thought they resembled the car lights that belonged to the impatient cars riding on the gray, littered highways and streets. "Taiki," Natt grumbled through the husky's fur, "Yes, Moonlight, this is Taiki! A brat, if I might say so myself. I don't think alpha males like me get these kind of jobs…" "Why am I so important?!" Taiki growled. Moonlight, the old female wolf, ignored him, "Natt, please, take him to Synkay." "Okay," Natt sighed, and carried Taiki into a large, dark den. The floor was littered with wilted rose petals and other green herbs Taiki didn't know. "What's with the roses?" Taiki snapped. Natt rolled his eyes, "We're the Pack of Eternal Night. We're dark and mysterious. What better effect is there than to add wilted roses? Plus, they smell _nice_. Happy now?" "And who's Moonlight?" Taiki added, eyes sparkling with curiousity. If he was going to be captured, he might as well know everything he could about his enemy. "The old alpha female. She's the current alpha female's mother," Natt sighed. He seemed happy at the sound of the words "alpha female". "Who's the alpha female?" the husky continued. Natt roughly set Taiki down on a large, comfortable patch of hay, "My mate, and right now she's a white wolf named _Tundra_…" Taiki noticed again that Natt sounded ecstatic about this wolf's name. Natt continued, a dreamy expression on his face, "The alpha female is the alpha male's companion-who is _me_-and they work together to keep the pack together. They're like the source of calm and peace in the pack. Even the Pack of Blinding Snow has some sense." "Blinding…snow?" Taiki frowned. There were too many packs to remember! "An evil pack. Don't go there," Natt growled. Taiki blinked innocently as a wolf's snort came from the shadows behind him. Taiki had half a mind to clutch onto Natt's leg like a pup and shiver in his pool of fear. The new wolf was a beautiful, black-furred female with brilliant blue eyes. Taiki was mesmerized by her appearance. And her voice was _even better_… She barked, "Natt, who is this?" Natt smirked, "You know, that husky Tundra and Moonlight always babble about. I thought you knew." The female wolf grinned back, "What's his name?" "Taiki," Natt sighed, "Are you going to heal him, Synkay?" "Where does it hurt?" Synkay kneeled down at Taiki's paws and looked up at him. "My paw is shattered," Taiki held up his broken paw. "Ah. Painful," Synkay dashed to a shelf full of different herbs and rummaged through them, and was back to Taiki in a flash. She held cobwebs, honey, chamomile, and other herbs Taiki couldn't differentiate from each other. Synkay settled Taiki's paw on a smooth stone and worked quickly, wrapping several layers of cobwebs between and around his toes. Then she moved to his paw, "Eat the chamomile, and the honey afterwards. Then count to thirty, then swallow that hairy, green leaf." "That?" Taiki frowned, pointing his nose at the herb Synkay had described. "Yes," she barked without even looking up from her objective. Taiki did as he was told, then watched Synkay as she moved with lightning speed. After what seemed like two lifetimes, the black wolf leaned back from Taiki's paw, "F-finished." She cracked her knuckles, then looked at Natt before padding off, "If it hurts again, tell me." "Sure," Natt rolled his eyes. "What is Synkay's job?" Taiki slurred, wanting to see the beautiful female again. "The healer," Natt barked before picking Taiki up again. The husky frowned. Synkay wouldn't have TIME for him if she was healer! "And she has an omega, named Kairii," Natt continued. Taiki thought, _I'd like to meet Kairii. Maybe she's more friendly than Synkay. _"Oh, there's Kairii and Pedro," Natt barked out loud. Taiki looked over Natt's large head to see a gray female wolf and a black male eating an eagle. "Talk about repulsive!" Taiki sniffed in disgust. "You eat a cow everyday, don't you?" Natt snorted. "Not a whole one! Just a slab of meat, once a day…" Taiki gulped. These wolves ate birds! Taiki continued, "So…who feeds you?" "Ourselves," Natt flicked the husky with his tailtip. "How?" Taiki was intrigued. "We hunt, you imbecile. How else?" Natt entered a cave narrower and larger than Synkay's and set Taiki down on a large nest made of hay. It smelled strongly of a female wolf around his age, and Taiki felt guilty that he was taking a female's nest. "Well…" Taiki frowned and shut his mouth. Natt may be a hulking mass of strength like most dummies in the zoo, but he was smart! Natt smirked and sat down in front of him, "Well, I hope you enjoy Rose's nest. I guess she won't mind making her own…again…" "Again?!" Taiki gasped, "I shouldn't!" "No, no. She makes a nest for Moonlight everyday. It's her job, along with Pedro, Aranck, and Azrael." "She must be lonely. I mean, with three males, doesn't she have anyone to play with? She's only my age, if not older," Taiki frowned in sorrow for Rose. "Nah. She has Ice Silk. And Kairii, remember?" Natt grinned, "Well, you do have manners. Good night." And with that, Natt padded out of the cave as other wolves filed past him. The first was a mirror image of Synkay, but she had a thinner jaw and a sleeker pelt. Her thin legs made her seem like she couldn't hold herself up, but the muscles on them made up for that. "Who are YOU?" she snapped rudely, narrowing her eyes. Taiki bit his lip, "My name is Taiki." "Where'd you come from? The zoo?" she smirked, settling down in an extremely warm nest. Taiki realized his was cold compared to the heat radiating from the female's. "Well, yes," the husky shrunk back and averted his eyes. "You're stupid, then," the female decided and turned over. Her snores soon filled the cave. It sounded as if the female had mental lists for everyone in the pack! "Don't mind her," a male's voice echoed. Taiki whipped around, only to twist his broken paw and shriek in pain. A few other pack wolves squeaked in terror and surprise. The male who had spoken was a gray wolf with white markings and blue, icy eyes. "Wh-" Taiki stared in amazement. This male was powerful and brave compared to the snappy female he had just met. "I'm Vamwere, and that's Ice Silk, my mate," Vamwere chuckled as a similar-shaped wolf rushed past him, drool spilling out of his mouth, "And that's my twin, Wind. We're Moonlight and Carlisle's adopted pups." "Adopted? Carlisle?" Taiki echoed blankly as Vamwere settled down beside him. "My father. We look exactly alike. And we're not his biological pups…" Vamwere closed his eyes, but then they snapped back open, "Why am I telling you my life's story?" "Are you the-" Taiki's eyes glittered with anxiety and anticipation at the information going to come out of Vamwere's mouth. "The top beta male? Yes," Vamwere chuckled. "What's that?" Taiki's claws drummed the ground. "I'm second in line to the alpha male!" Vamwere snorted and curled his tail around his paws, "And that means when Natt d-" "Don't talk about that," Taiki snapped, lowering his eyes shamefully. Vamwere eyed him carefully, but then chuckled again, "You're one weird husky." Taiki blushed, "Well…" The male wolf didn't reply. Instead, he turned around and curled up in his nest, and was soon fast asleep. Taiki found no decent way to wake him up without rousing his vexatious mate, so he followed suit and soon let himself be swallowed up by the warm shadows of sleep.

Chapter Three  
~Omegaship~

Natt stared into the trees, his crystal blue eyes glittering like blue raindrop gems as a result of the sun blinding him. He heard the branches behind him snap spontaneously, and he whipped around to find the small Taiki at his paws, eyes narrowed and sparkling with determination. Natt was taken aback-his persistence and stubbornness was rolling off of the husky in cumbersome waves! "Let's go, then," Natt barked warily, turning warily around and picking Taiki up at the same time. Taiki wriggled out of Natt's grasp defiantly, "I'm walking." "Okay, then," Natt frowned and sprinted ahead, leaving Taiki to choke on his dust. The husky huffed and raced after him. Natt actually slowed down a bit to let the independent husky catch up, and Taiki did just as he suspected. The trees ahead soon broke apart, and the gases and fumes from the road smothered the two males. Natt coughed and slowed to a stop, "How can you handle this stench?!" Taiki blinked in confusion, "What stench?" Natt shook his head, "Whatever," and turned into an eagle, then soared up and over the road. Taiki watched with amazement as Natt neatly landed in his cage and stuck his tongue out at him, almost as if he were saying, _How are you going to get across the road conspicuously without my help? Huh? Haha! _Taiki snarled viciously and backed up, disappearing into the foliage and out of Natt's sight. The wolf-eagle grew even more confused as Taiki's scent completely vanished among the poisoned fumes. Suddenly, a light gray shape shot out of the greenery and flew over the road. Natt's eyes grew wider than dinner platters as Taiki soared towards him. Closer, closer…and then he landed right in the path of a red-and-silver petroleum truck. "No!" Natt shrieked. Taiki quickly woke up from his concussion and scrambled out of the way of the truck as the driver beeped his horn and swerved, bumping lightly into a dark silver mini-van. The mom in the van beeped the horn loudly as well and screeched to a stop. The cars behind her stopped hastily as well, and a bunch of drivers started piling out of their cars to argue with each other, starting with the truck and mini-van drivers. Taiki leapt out of the way of the commotion and padded to Natt's side. "See?" Natt scolded, eyes narrowed. Taiki snorted and turned his head away in defiance. "Your family," Natt reminded him, turning into a wolf and getting up. "Right," Taiki smiled and hopped to his paws as well. They started towards the cave, and Taiki was humming a tune until the unbearable silence reached his ears. "Hey, no one's here," Taiki looked around, then remembered it was a Monday. Natt rolled his eyes and snorted at him, secretly confused why Taiki even cared. Then he dashed for the cave entrance, and Taiki soon noticed and followed. The darkness swallowed the two males as they entered, and the husky shivered, "Psou? Sachiko? Kasey?" No answer except the echo from Taiki's calls. "Psou?" Natt tried, "Is that your grandfather?" "My father," Taiki snapped, a slight growl detected in his voice. Natt snorted and started to laugh uncontrollably, "That's such an old name!" "As is Carlisle," Taiki retorted. Natt stopped laughing immediately and continued forward without a sound. Both males finally reached the back wall after checking all of the rooms. "Where's my family?" Taiki wondered fearfully. Natt lowered his eyes in respect for Taiki's loss, but then he quickly raised his head again, "We'll just follow their scent trail. But, before that, we have to get back to camp." "Already?!" Taiki jumped back in surprise. "Yes. No matter how stubborn you are, even you'd succumb to hunger if we went on a journey right away. I'm not that stupid." "What about you?" the husky retorted. "I can fly back to camp and hunt for myself," Natt smirked, "You, well, maybe we'll have to train you first." "But my family'll be dead by then!" Taiki's eyes widened. Natt simply smirked and picked up Taiki, then disappeared into the ground. Taiki closed his eyes and waited for Natt to reappear aboveground in the NightPack camp.

~*~

"Your mentor will be Kane," Tundra announced from the top of a shadow-lined rock. The Pack cheered unwillingly, and a lean, white, male wolf with luminous blue eyes stepped forward to greet Taiki. A black leather collar holding a light blue crystal was strapped tightly around his neck. "You're a dog?" Taiki asked in surprise. "No-this is my element necklace," Kane beamed. Taiki was dumbfounded. Kane rolled his eyes, "It's what gives me a boost for my elemental powers and is part of my spirit. A wolf has not lived until he finds his necklace!" Taiki secretly wondered if _he'd _get a necklace, whether he was a wolf or not. He was now officially part of the pack now as an omega, whether or not NightPack accepted him emotionally. "Good luck with your apprentice," Natt smirked, "Or, _omega_, as I should call it." "Shouldn't you be training Azrael?" Kane retorted playfully, waving good-bye with his tail. "I have to teach you hunting first. Have you tasted a caribou before?" Kane asked Taiki. The husky blinked in confusion, "I eat cow." "Cow?! Wow, you should've been a beta by now!" Kane gasped, "Well-" "No, I get fed," Taiki blushed in shame, "I've never hunted for myself." Kane made a sound-_tsk, tsk, tsk_-and barked, "Well, let's go then. And maybe you have elements like Gray!" "Who's Gray?" Taiki asked innocently as they started up the side of the ravine. "He's a husky in DawnPack," Kane answered thoughtfully, "He has a mate and a pup full of energy! He's lucky, and he's a husky, too. Really, really lucky." "Huh," Taiki looked up at the trees in the dark forest. As they went farther from camp, it got foggier and darker. "Er, where are we going?" Taiki shivered and crouched down in fear as he walked beside his tall mentor. "The Fog-Trail," Kane answered lightly, humming a cheerful tune. The male husky couldn't see how Kane could be so happy in this gloomy part of the forest he hadn't even seen before, "Fog…Trail???" "Yea, other packs call it the Walkway of Death," Kane barked cheerfully, smiling. Taiki gasped and almost stopped in his tracks. If even SnowPack, the angry pack that Natt described, feared this trail, why should a young, small husky like _him _go to a place like _that_?! "Here we are," the white wolf barked happily. Ahead was a trail speckled by rays of foggy light that looked suitable to a ex-suicidal ghost. Blood trail in large blobs along the long walkway, and the trees lined up perfectly, their gnarled branches ready to tear apart any unsuspecting, foolish, young male who dared walk on their hidden roots. "Like me," Taiki gulped. "Hrm?" Kane looked over at him cheerfully, "Ever since the fog cleared up, this is the brightest spot on NightPack territory! And now its full of dark-furred prey." "Wh-why d-dark?" Taiki stuttered. "Eh, I don't know," Kane shrugged off his omega's question, "I guess the darkness attracts dark-furred prey, because it's good camouflage. It may be brighter here, but white-furred prey will still be spotted easily." "Like you and Tundra?" Taiki asked. Kane laughed, "Yup. Now, run along now. I want to see what you know." Taiki bit his lip and struggled to put one paw forward. But, before he knew it, he was trotting through the trail as if he were on a stroll with his mother, Sachiko. _Hey, I'm not so bad_, Taiki cheered for himself inside his head. Suddenly, a snap split the air, and Taiki shrieked. The two sounds didn't blend yet echoed together ominously. Kane barked wildly, "You can do it!" Taiki gulped and went forward, and he started to realize he stepped on a twig. He spotted a flash of black, and he pricked his ears and looked to the roots of a gnarled tree. A plump, jet black hare stared down the path, its large feet settled in the tangle of weeds and roots around the dead tree. The hare's gargantuan ears twitched fervently in result of its fear of being caught. Taiki licked his lips hungrily and leapt wildly at the hare, howling wildly and letting his tongue hang out of the side of his mouth, drool dripping off the tip of his tongue. The hare would have escaped easily from Taiki's small paws, but hence its tangled feet, it tripped as it tried to jump away. Taiki howled with pleasure as he landed on the rabbit. He growled with pleasure, but then drew a blank and looked back at Kane, "What do I do now?" The black rabbit scratched at the ground in its frenzy to get away. Kane smiled, then smirked and replied, "Bit its neck!" "But that will kill it!" Taiki frowned-he'd never kill, not even for the sake of his health! Kane rolled his eyes, "What, you're going to eat it alive? What a pain." _Maybe I'll try it once_, Taiki blinked in surprise and did as Kane instructed. The hare still struggled under his strong jaws, but the jerky movements soon ended, and Taiki raised his head. He tasted blood in his mouth, and he swallowed it with interest and curiousity. Kane leapt over and grinned, "Your first catch! A black hare. That's a rare one-one I've never seen before in all my travels." "You're allowed to travel?!" Taiki sat up immediately, eyes widening. "I wasn't born a NightPack wolf," Kane laughed, "I used to be a loner. I lived on my instincts. By myself! What a life…but I like being in a pack-with lots of wolves-better." "Oh," Taiki blinked and frowned. You didn't have to be pack-born to join a pack?

~*~

Taiki dug into an eagle's belly, smelling the tender, fresh meat and becoming intoxicated by the delicious muscles of the fresh-kill. He glanced across the camp clearing, and caught sight of Kairii's silver-gray fur. He raised his head and blinked. She was talking to a wolf he hadn't seen before and thought he would never see in his life. But the wolf's white fur and dark blue eyes weren't the most intriguing. She had a lean, thin figure, unlike Kairii's slender and bulky one. The new she-wolf's muscles were rounded and smoother than Kairii's stocky ones, and the unfamiliar female also had a strange scent-unlike NightPack's floral, watery scent, she had more of a forest scent, as if she had rubbed against a pine tree, or a maple tree. It was a scent that reminded you of sunshiny days. As the scent pervaded Taiki's nose, he could also smell maple syrup and pollen on the she-wolf. Immediately growing protective over Kairii, Taiki quickly finished his snack and stood up, narrowing his eyes and storming over to Kairii and the wolf she was talking to. When the husky approached them, he could see that the new wolf's necklace was gold with a ruby on it, and an elemental fire swirled around it. Taiki was impressed-the female's fur wasn't scorched at all. It actually looked healthy from his point of view. The she-wolf noticed the husky-Kairii was still bigger than him, even though Taiki was almost grown-and looked his way, "Why, hello. You-you remind me of Gray." Taiki growled, "Who are _YOU _to be talking to Kairii? You aren't a NightPack wolf-I haven't seen you before." "She's the DawnPack alpha, Dawn," Kairii barked softly. Taiki was about to rudely open his mouth again, when he processed Kairii's words in his brain, and he quickly dipped his head in embarrassment. Dawn laughed brightly, "No worries! No worries! I like your spunk!" Taiki raised his head, "Do you know a husky named Gray?" "Yes, he's my packmate," Dawn beamed. "He's the alpha male?!" Taiki spat in disbelief. "No, my _pack_mate," Dawn smirked, "That mean's he's in the same pack as me. And the alpha male is named Blade. Oh, and I was talking to Kairii because we have no Healer. We need herbs, and even the alphas and top betas need to know some herbs to help out their pack. So I was asking Kairii for herbs." "Why not Synkay?" Taiki frowned. Dawn was giving him answers, but it just gave him more confusing things to ask about. The alpha female laughed, "Because-Synkay's growing old, as much as I don't like it. She'll be joining her mother in the storytellers' den soon. Storytellers are like…erm, well, old wolves." "Her _mother_?!" Taiki howled, "B-but, h-how is she Tundra's sister?!" "Tundra is an only pup," Dawn explained. Kairii nodded, "Yea-and so is Nanook-I mean, related to Tundra. He's more of a loner than a NightPack wolf, so you won't see him often. Just be careful around him, okay? Even Synkay doesn't know a lot about him because he's been gone so long." Kairii paused, then her eyes widened, and she turned hastily to Dawn, "Oh, those herbs! I agree-you will need them! Ask Synkay-I'm sure she'll comply. We have tons, and you came at just the right time. Winter's coming, so this might be your last chance to ask NightPack." Dawn smiled warmly and dipped her head, "Thank you, Kairii. You're just wonderful!" Dawn then pushed past Kairii and headed for Synkay's dark, mysterious den. "Will she be able to find her way around?" Kairii wondered out loud, "She's an alpha, but she isn't a dark type, and can't use fire to light her way. She'll burn the cave down." "How do you know Dawn?" Taiki asked, blue eyes glittering. Kairii blinked, "Huh? Oh, I see her at every Wolf-Circle Meeting." "What?!" Taiki spat, "I've been missing out on these things, too?" Kairii giggled, "I guess Moonlight doesn't have faith in you. She is controlling, even though she willingly gave up her position to Tundra. Anyway, I'm sure you'll go to one before you become a beta." "Yea," Taiki sighed, lowering his eyes, "I bet my family's dead by now. If they aren't, well, Kane says by now I should have my elements if I were destined to have them. How can I fare against Rosengun if I don't even have elements?" Kairii stayed silent and averted her eyes. Taiki sighed and looked up at the fog-covered sun. Natt promised he'd take him to find his parents after a good night's sleep and a hefty breakfast. It had been four months, or moons, as the wolves call it, since he had seen his family and started his training. Taiki had lost faith in Natt, NightPack, and himself. Would he even have the courage to go on a journey to save his family after he finished his training?

Chapter Four  
~Moon's Greetings~

In favor of Taiki's sudden grief for his family, Tundra allowed Taiki to go to the next Wolf-Circle meeting. When he heard this, he was overexcited with joy. "Yes! I'm going on to Wolf-Circle Meeting!" Taiki hopped around his den. "So are Pedro and Azrael," Rose pointed out. Rose and Taiki were now the only beta-trained omegas, ever since the other two males became betas-which is a status for a grown-up wolf who can care for its own self-and moved into the betas' den. Kane was no longer the newest wolf to the betas' den, so he and his omega Taiki started to receive more respect. But, now Rose was starting to lose her friendly bond with Azrael, and the black-furred male grew more arrogant everyday. Taiki assured her that it was a stage, since his sister did the same thing, but Rose pretty much ignored the husky and his useful advice. "Really? But they just moved up a rank," Taiki stopped jumping and leapt into his newly-made nest. "And? 'They've been doing so well'," Rose snorted, repeating the words she heard Shade-a dark brown female wolf-say while she eavesdropped on Shade and Nyx's conversation a few hours ago. "Don't listen to her. You know good and well everyone's friends with Azrael. Even I am," Taiki shrugged. Rose averted her eyes and hastily padded out of the den, "You don't understand!" Taiki reached out to her with a paw, but then quickly drew back. Nobody liked Rose when she was_ angry_.

~*~

Tundra stood at the entrance to the camp and waited as her packmates gathered around her. She blinked her icy blue eyes, then howled, "I will now list the wolves coming with me to the Wolf-Circle Gathering!" Taiki turned to Rose and grinned, but the female simply toyed with a blade of grass as if she were bored. Taiki looked back to Tundra to listen to the list of wolves, but then he heard someone shout, "But, everyone gets to go! That's how Moonlight always did it!" Tundra snarled, "Why don't you open your eyes for once, Namine'?! I'm the alpha female now!" Taiki stood on his hind paws and looked over the crowd of heads to where Tundra was looking. A white female with silvery-purple paws and muzzle narrowed her eyes at Tundra, her dull pelt almost gray in contrast with her bright green eyes. "Namine'?" Taiki sat back down. Rose growled quietly, "She's my mentor, my beta. You don't know that by now? It's been a long time." "Oh, uh, sorry," Taiki dipped his head in respect and turned back to Tundra. The alpha female cleared her throat and howled, "With me I will take: Moonlight, Carlisle, Synkay, Kairii, Ice Silk, Sora, Wind and Vamwere, Patch, Bella, Shade, Demon, Pedro, Azrael, and Taiki." "That means Namine', Nyx, Kane, and Rose are staying," Natt confirmed. Rose's eyes widened, "Why can't I go?" Taiki frowned-Tundra changed the rules by saying not all NightPack wolves may go to the Wolf-Circle Meeting. The husky had the feeling that since he got to go, Rose had to stay. Rose wasn't an expert on Meetings, and she had only been to two, but she had been in NightPack longer than Taiki. He suddenly felt guilty. He'd try to get Tundra's attention tomorrow or after the Meeting, if he got the chance to.

~*~

The seventeen wolves stood at the edge of the clearing, waiting for the right chance to enter. Taiki could hear the rush of a river nearby, and the trickle of a soft stream, along with the soft rustling of leaves in the trees. The husky shivered-this place was colder than all of NightPack territory! For a moment he wished Dawn had accepted him into sunny, fruitful DawnPack instead of Natt and cold, dreary NightPack. _Well, at least it's not SnowPack_, Taiki thought sourly. "Let's go," Tundra called back to her packmates, and the attending wolves filed into the clearing. As soon as Taiki rushed forward, he tripped on a rock and sent himself tumbling into a cold, icy stream. "Aghhhh!" Taiki howled, jumping out of the water. All eight alphas of the four packs had already jumped onto the rocks jutting out of the lake, and they stared at him in surprise. "Who's that?" a brown, streaked wolf whispered to Dawn. "Idiot," a white wolf with amber eyes sneered, her smirk alone making Taiki want to cry out in fear and attempt to hide under a rock. A gray male with a similar figure nudged the white wolf and snickered along with her. Taiki then turned to look at a pure black female wolf and a small gray male with a darker stripe going down his back. The male looked almost like Patch and Carlisle, but female next to him had a similar scent. He started to wonder who those two were when someone dragged him out of the water. He coughed and landed on his back, only to look up at the savior he feared it would be-Tundra. "What are you doing in the water?!" she shrieked, her eyes pools of rage. Taiki hid his eyes under his paws. "Don't go in," Tundra snarled, "Again." Then, the white she-wolf leapt over him and landed on a rock next to Natt, who immediately started whispering to her. Natt leapt forward and howled, "Let this moon's Wolf-Circle meeting begin!" Taiki hid his muzzle in the snow as the wolves around him howled. He went and hid behind all the others as Natt's deep voice echoed throughout the clearing, talking about the different things that went on since the last Wolf-Circle Meeting. Taiki suddenly heard his name, and figured the alpha male was talking about his appearance in the pack. After Natt stopped talking, her heard a cheery yet deep voice go after him. He looked up and saw the brown wolf speaking. He turned to the wolf nearest to him and asked, "Who's that?" "Oh, you must be Taiki," the wolf next to him grinned. He had an orange pelt-yes, ORANGE-and chocolate brown eyes. "I'm Kyo," the wolf continued, "Oh, and about your question…that's the alpha male of DawnPack, Blade." "Oh," Taiki blinked, "Thank you, er, Kyo." "No problem!" Kyo grinned, "I just wish _Jasper _were up there, speaking for DawnPack." "Wait, Jasper?" Taiki's shoulders sagged. How could there be these many wolves in four packs?! "Yea. He's my idol! Ever since birth I've looked up to him," Kyo sighed. "Birth, huh?" Taiki frowned, "Wait, who's pup are you, anyway? You're not big enough to be a beta." "I'm an omega, and I'm Gray and Shiny's pup," Kyo hopped to his paws, "The one and only, Kyo!" "Yea, I heard your name already," Taiki smirked. A ginger-brown female that smelled strongly of herbs whipped around and sneered, "Shhh! There's a Meeting going on here, if you HAVEN'T noticed!" Kyo stuck his tongue out at her, but Taiki blinked and concentrated on how she smelled and looked. The female smelled of fog and miles of grass, and her figure was tall and lean, more like DawnPack's than NightPack's. "You're a WindPack wolf, aren't you?" Taiki assumed. The female grinned, "Yup! I'm the WindPack _healer_…well, I help out…And you're that new husky! Like Gray." "Gray must be a top beta or something," Taiki wondered out loud. "Nah. He's just a beta. I bet a lot of wolves have been comparing you to him, huh?" the female asked, smirking. "You're right," Taiki blushed and looked up at the dark clouds dotting the midnight sky, "Is he special?" "Other than being a husky and having a wolf-mate and wolf-pup, no," the female sighed, then her eyes brightened, "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Sahuri. And…what's your name again? I didn't quite catch it." "I'm Taiki," the husky blushed again, "I'm from NightPack. I'm Kane's omega." "Ah, Kane," Sahuri's eyes darkened, and a growl escaped her pursed lips. Taiki and Kyo looked at each other with worry and shrugged with confusion at this sudden change of attitude. By the time they looked back to the WindPack female again, she was smiling, "Well, I think Axel and Xhincha are speaking now. I wonder who will go first?" To Taiki's surprise, Axel-the large, gray male-stepped forward and howled. Wolves had started to talk over Axel because of their hatred of the SnowPack wolves, but it stopped as soon as Axel started to growl. A blue-tined, white wolf with bright yellow eyes sat near Axel, but not in the river or on a rock. "That's Fallen," Kyo pointed to the blue-white female with his tail, "No one knows how to pronounce her name, so we just say it as if we were saying…hm, something like 'A fallen alpha'." "Fallen alpha?" Taiki smirked. Kyo huffed, "I'm not exactly a studier of languages." "You should come up with a better example by the next Meeting," Taiki suggested, flicking his tailtip in the pup's direction. Kyo stepped back and sneered, "You're making a bet?" "You better count on it," Taiki grinned. The orange omega stood up and crouched down like he was hunting, "Fine! I accept!" Axel had just finished speaking, and he looked over to where Kyo and Taiki were loudly talking. He sent a gust of wind their way, knocking Kyo over and into a tree. Blade snarled and stepped forward, while Dawn put a paw to her muzzle in surprise. A few DawnPack wolves snarled, and ears were twitching angrily within seconds. Tundra snarled and leapt forward, "Stop this nonsense! Dawn, Blade, may I see Kyo after the Meeting?" Both alphas nodded. Blade whispered to Tundra, "Give him something to think about." Tundra smirked and replied, "Don't worry. You know me." Axel leapt down from the rock and padded through the crowd of wolves, gathering the other wolves in his pack together. Xhincha leapt over the wolves and landed beside Axel as they left the clearing. Kyo turned to Taiki and gulped, "Tundra is known to be merciless!" Taiki didn't have a bet for that.

**Part One-End**


	2. Part 2: Chapters 5 through 8

_Based on __.com_

Chapter 5

~Punishment~

Tundra padded forward silently, her large, fluffy, white tail swinging behind her. Kyo and Taiki slowly followed, hanging their heads and sniffing quietly. They were in NightPack territory now, and Taiki kept close to Kyo to share his warmth. After all, Kyo was a DawnPack wolf-if Tundra took him to punish him in NightPack territory all alone, he'd probably faint before setting paw inside the border! Compared to NightPack territory, DawnPack territory was like HopePack-or heaven, as humans would call it.

Kyo rubbed his head against Taiki's chin to say thank you. Taiki nodded in return and looked up at the treetops. He almost bumped into Tundra's hindquarters when the alpha female growled, then barked, "We're here. Get on an iceberg."

_Iceberg?! _Taiki's mouth gapped.

Before him stood a wide, frost-covered lake. Drifting icebergs floated around, half-covered by the icy waters of death. "Y-you expect us to get on those ice-things?!" Kyo's chocolate eyes were wide open, then he barked something bravely that Taiki would never imagine saying. The young DawnPack male snapped, "Are you out of your mind?!"

Taiki froze as he watched Tundra's fur slowly start to bristle in rage, standing on end. She turned around, her icy eyes pools of fire.

She snarled, "GET … ON … AN … ICEBERG … NOW." Kyo squealed and raced towards Ice Flow Lake. Tundra glared at Taiki, and the husky hastily followed.

Seated on the same iceberg, they watched as Tundra took a few pawsteps towards them, then stopped. "Well, I guess I'll leave you there. And, in the morning, I'll come and give you some … 'encouragement'," Tundra gave them a wide, fake smile, then turned around and disappeared into the trees. Kyo and Taiki looked at each other in surprise.

"Well, I guess that's what we get for being rowdy males at the Meeting," Taiki sighed hopelessly.

"B-but, how can we survive on one of these things?! It's cold here already!" Kyo's dark, dark brown nose was already tinted blue, and his knife-sharp teeth were clattering. The DawnPack male's fur was fluffed up against the cold, and he was still freezing.

Taiki frowned, "If only I had the fire element, I could make this whole lake evaporate." "What do you call this place, anyway?" Kyo sniffed.

"Ice Flow Lake," Taiki replied, confused why he would ask.

"Fitting. I'm almost dead," Kyo snapped angrily, "I'll 'flow' along with the rest of the icebergs, if you don't mind me!"

The husky jumped to his paws, fur standing on end, "Don't say that! Tundra wouldn't kill us!"

"She has _killed _before, though," Kyo glared up at him, "It's probably easy for her. I've barely landed scratches on my prey!"

"Heh, I know that," a female's voice said.

Taiki's ears pricked-this wasn't a grown female that was talking, nevermind Tundra. A small, golden wolf padded slowly out of the trees, her fur fluffed up like Kyo's. Her pelt was almost as yellow as the sun-it looked like someone had bleached it with a yellow herb…or something.

"Who are _you_?" Kyo snapped grumpily.

"My name is Winry," she smirked, her big, blue eyes shining, "And I'm a WindPack beta!"

"But you're no older than me!" Kyo frowned, immediately confused.

"Success comes with hard work, Kyon-kyon," Winry smirked and swayed side to side alluringly.

"Don't call me Kyon-kyon," the orange male snarled, putting one frozen paw forward.

"Kyo, don't! You'll hurt yourself! She isn't worth our time," Taiki stood in front of his friend, eyes burning.

"Worth your time? Oh, I guess I won't rescue you, then," Winry turned around and headed towards the trees.

Taiki grinded his teeth in frustration, then yowled after her, "Wait! We accept…"

"Oh, really? Then, stand back and watch, males," Winry smirked and dug her claws in the ground. Then, she barked, and a ring of water, air, and fire came from her muzzle. The lake shifted from the impact, and a huge wave lifted and carried Kyo and Taiki's iceberg up with it.

The two males howled with surprise and fear, and a jet of ice-water spouted from the iceberg when Winry lifted her right paw up sharply, shooting them off the iceberg and in front of Winry's paws.

"Stupid female! We don't need your help! Come on, let's go, Taiki," Kyo angrily jumped to his paws, agitated.

The husky sighed, "Kyo! Winry just saved us. She must be talented. I mean, she's smaller than you, and obviously younger than you, and she's a beta! You just started your training, and she's finished with it and has perfected her powers!"

Kyo sat down-he had nothing to say to Taiki's logical reasoning, but he wasn't going to give up to _any female _like this know-it-all anytime soon!

Taiki dipped his head to the young female, "I'm sorry we didn't introduce ourselves. I'm Taiki, an omega of NightPack. This is Kyo, an omega of DawnPack. He's Shiny and Gray's only pup-Shiny and Gray are DawnPack betas."

Winry nodded slightly in return, "I'm Winry, a beta of WindPack, as you know-" Suddenly, the golden female froze, eyes reflecting horror.

"Winry?" Taiki softly prodded her with one paw.

"You say Kyon-kyon is…Shiny and Gray's _only _pup?" she whispered, seemingly horrified at the thought.

"Yes. So?" Kyo snapped, narrowing his eyes, "What a dumbbell. Does it matter?"

Winry shook her head and closed her eyes. When she opened the blue gems, they were shining with a determined look, and she straightened her back, "Well, it's like Kyon-kyon said. Anyway, I'll take you back to your camps! Let's go!" Winry grinned and started to march happily towards the trees, when she looked back and noticed the two males were right where she left them. And they looked like they were going to take off in the other direction pretty soon. "What wrong, males?" she asked sweetly.

"We'll get in even more trouble if we go back. We were punished for speaking out at the Meeting," Kyo muttered.

Taiki looked at his paws sadly, "Yea, and you know how Tundra is. If you don't, you'll see if I let you take us back. And Dawn and Blade are sure to be mad at Kyo, too. He'll have the wrath of the alphas and his parents if he goes back."

"What about your parents?" Winry barked, surprised. She didn't mention that Taiki left out Natt-the alpha male of NightPack was likely to let Tundra take her anger out on Taiki for both of them.

"I'm from the zoo. Natt saved me from an evil wolf called Rosengun and took me into NightPack. I planned to train for three days so I would know a few moves to take my family back from Rosengun, but ended up staying here for a while. Now, I'm stuck until I become a beta. Well, that's what I think Natt has planned for me," Taiki bit his lip to keep himself from crying-one, because he missed his family dearly. Two, because he felt uncomfortable telling his life's secrets to this female he just met.

"You know, she's kind of cute," Kyo suddenly whispered in his ear.

Taiki jumped back a few feet, "WHAAAAAAT?!"

Winry tipped her head to the side, "What are you guys talking about? ...Well, I guess it doesn't matter. How about this-I set this lake on fire for both of you guys, and you tell this Tundra of yours that you did it."

Taiki nodded without thinking, his goal of staying warm throughout the rest of the night his only goal.

"Stand back, males," Winry smirked as Taiki and Kyo quickly backed up. She planted all four paws firmly into the ground, and crouched down as if she was going to spring.

But she didn't.

Instead, Winry howled, and a small blast of fire sprung from Winry's jaws. Taiki thought he could see the air compressing together, and when the fire flew through that spot, it quadrupled in size, becoming a massive fireball. It hit the lake, and Winry blew a blast of oxygen right after the fire. The ball of heat flared up, and the lake started to evaporate. Winry licked her singed paws and flicked a small flame off her tail, which flew into a small puddle of water and went out with a small, quick, sizzling sound.

"In you go," Winry nudged them towards the lake, which was now a big hollow in the ground. Actually, more like a ravine or a canyon.

"Down…there?" Kyo looked over the edge and stepped back in fear of falling.

"I left some mud. You males go enjoy yourselves," Winry waved her paw in circles nonchalantly as she left the clearing to Kyo and Taiki.

The two males looked at each other with uncertainty. Then, they screamed.

Chapter 6

~Winry~

Tundra looked around the clearing, astonished. The grass was burnt around the edges of the once-was Ice Flow Lake. Puddles of steaming water were bubbling like lava. The Ice Flow Lake-gone. "This is the work of a DawnPack wolf," Tundra snarled, striding forward angrily. She looked into the "Mud Ravine" and saw Kyo and Taiki-with mud-covered pelts-yapping quietly at each other and drawing shapes in the mud out of boredom.

"Kyo! Did you do this?!" Tundra snapped suddenly. Before he could answer, Tundra whipped around and muttered, "No, he's too inexperienced…Dawn must know. I'll take them with me." Turning back around with an obviously fake, cheerful smile, she barked, "You two are coming with me to DawnPack camp."

"Yay!" they cheered, half-heartedly.

~*~

"Hey, Blade, Dawn!" Tundra called, "Anyone home???"

Even though DawnPack mornings were brighter than NightPack territory at noon, DawnPack wolves were NOT early birds. Blade usually went out to hunt with a few other higher ranking wolves, but then they probably went right back to sleep. As a result, DawnPack camp was very vulnerable in the mornings. Then again, they were known well for their strength. So, DawnPack continued to sleep in late.

Luckily for Tundra, Dawn happened to hear her, and the white-furred alpha female groggily crawled out of her and Blade's den, yawning, "What is it, Tundra?"

"It's bright outside! You should be awake," Tundra snapped, "Anyway, Ice Flow Lake just became Mud Ravine!"

"What?" Dawn quietly slurred.

"Someone evaporated all of the water and ice in Ice Flow Lake! And all that's left is mud and a canyon!" Tundra growled, her shining claws digging into the earth. The wind quietly flowed through the trees, making a soft whistling sound. Kyo and Taiki, who were behind the vengeful Tundra, huddled closer to each other and whimpered.

"And…why…are you…coming to me?" Dawn yawned between every few syllables.

"Because everyone knows DawnPack have fiery specialties. Fire, wind, and electric elements, along with some water, are the talents of your pack. No NightPack wolf would destroy our prized monument! You just want wolves to visit your territory. I know you sent a spy!" Tundra spat, icy eyes narrowed. Her white fur bristled with rage.

Dawn looked at her nonchalantly, "What is wrong with you? Maybe Rosengun did it. Maybe it was SnowPack, or WindPack. Maybe my 'spy' is your favorite little husky over there."

"Taiki doesn't have powers," Tundra snarled under her breath, just loud enough for Dawn to hear.

Pretty soon, other DawnPack wolves started to file out of the dens, murmuring quietly and suspiciously. Shiny and Gray padded out of the betas' den, and their dull eyes shone with warmth when they rested on Kyo.

"Leave this place," Blade growled as he padded out of the alphas' den, "Leave Kyo, and leave us alone." Fire started to swirl around Blade's head.

Tundra could have taken down all of DawnPack, but she didn't want to fuel the rivalry between NightPack and DawnPack anymore, with Rosengun to worry about as well. "Taiki, let's go," Tundra flicked her tail in the husky's direction, "Kyo…"

"Yes, I know," Kyo nosed Taiki's ear in parting, then trotted hastily to Shiny and Gray's side. The whole of DawnPack watched with sneering eyes as the two NightPack wolves left them, the sun slowly rising behind the two as they faded into the forest's darkness.

~*~

In The Pack of Running Wind, a.k.a. WindPack, Winry was nibbling slowly at a baby caribou's belly. Siklore was gnawing at a bone from the same caribou while batting at Winry's wagging tail, and Emmett was laying beside Winry, half-asleep. The silver star on the male's forehead shone in the pre-dawn light, and it hurt Winry's eyes just to look at it.

Shiekra, the alpha female of WindPack, slowly padded up to her pup, Siklore; Winry, and Emmett. "Winry, would you like to go with Emmett and I on the dawn patrol?" Shiekra asked sweetly.

Winry pricked her ears and hopped to her paws, "Sure!" _I could use a little excitement right now-I still have butterflies from helping Kyon-kyon and Taiki at Ice Flow Lake._ She needed to share her secret with someone, but so far, no one had been proven trustworthy yet. Maybe the butterflies would disappear if she got into a fight with SnowPack on the patrol. After all, there was a 50% chance SnowPack would start something.

After waking Emmett, the three left Siklore to play with her three siblings and father (who was the alpha male, Pitch). Shiekra looked back to stare at Winry, who had her now-dull eyes pointed at the ground. She wasn't usually like this…was she afraid that she'd meet DawnPack at the border? Shiekra remembered that she'd forgot to tell Winry that they'd only go around the SnowPack border. _Well, she'll figure it out on her own. She's a smart wolf. After all, she passed the test to get into WindPack_, Shiekra thought happily, though something hidden still bugged her.

"Winry," Emmett yawned.

The golden wolf perked up and looked at Emmett's silver-starred forehead, "Yes?"

"We're here. Stop bumping into my hindquarters," the black wolf growled grumpily.

"Oh…oh! Sorry!" Winry jumped back and dipped her head in respect multiple times for her clumsiness. Emmett rolled his eyes and looked at the snow-covered marshes of SnowPack territory.

"Nothing here. Emmett, go to the west and lay down markers. Winry, stay here and keep watch while I go to the east border," Shiekra ordered, quickly turning to the right.

Winry nodded and sat down, feeling lonely as Emmett went the other way. The uncomfortable feeling grew as time passed by slowly. She started to wonder if her packmates had gone off somewhere, or had been attacked and killed. "No, they weren't killed! SnowPack isn't that cruel!" Winry shouted out loud to herself. She quickly changed her mind about that rule, hence everyone knew what SnowPack was like, and whispered, "Maybe they've just gotten held up somewhere. But…by what?"

She moaned and dug up the grass in front of her paws out of boredom and anxiety. Soon, Shiekra ran back to Winry's, her blue eyes wide with fear.

"Shiekra!" Winry jumped to her paws.

"Emmett's in trouble! NightPack's attacking!" Shiekra howled.

"NightPack?!" Winry trembled with horror.

"Why…" Shiekra muttered to herself, tears welling up in her eyes. Her sister, Moonlight, was a NightPack wolf, which made Moonlight's daughter, Tundra, Shiekra's niece. To make a long story short, Shiekra had close relations in NightPack, which also made NightPack and WindPack allies. And to be attacked by her sister's pack was a big deal to Shiekra.

Winry snarled, remembering Taiki. He was a member of NightPack. _He probably told Tundra about me!_ "That backstabbing-" Winry trembled with rage.

Shiekra looked at her with understanding, and now with fire in her eyes, she led Winry into battle and towards Emmett.

~*~

When Winry and Shiekra arrived to the battle scene, they were standing on top of a slope. Short grass waved silently around their paws, whispering secrets and wise words only a healer could interpret. Below they could both see Emmett's black pelt blending in with the shadows of the NightPack wolves' elements, yet the attackers were nowhere to be seen.

Winry caught a whiff of Taiki's scent, and she snarled to herself, promising herself silently that she'd be the first to rip his tail off. Shiekra stood frozen beside her, so Winry gave the alpha female a nudge.

"Yes?" Shiekra jumped and looked down at Winry.

"What's wrong? You seem so preoccupied. You have a distant look in your eyes," the golden wolf barked slowly, blinking with worry.

"This isn't NightPack. This is the work of Rosengun," Shiekra answered, "And I smell that new husky in the crowd. And…Tundra!" The black alpha female immediately raced down the slope to help her niece, while Winry stayed at the top of the slope.

"Taiki, Tundra, Rosengun, and Emmett? What's going on?!" Winry whispered to herself, then she followed Shiekra down the slope. Rocks and pebbles showered Emmett as the golden female slid down to join him and Shiekra.

"Thank the Pack of Endless Hope!" Emmett howled when he caught sight of Winry.

Taiki suddenly appeared beside the elderly male, "The Pack of Endless Hope?"

"HopePack for short. They're the pack of our ancestors, in the sky," Shiekra hastily explained, then she asked, "Where's Tundra?!"

"Fighting off Rosengun's shadow warriors," Emmett snarled with hatred ringing in his deep voice, "But her ice and light elements keep rebounding off of the shadow warriors, and the result is shadow elements beating me up. You see that I'm covered with bumps and bruises. Rosengun is in hiding again. I want to see his face and ruin it!"

"You pack wolves hate Rosengun that much?" Taiki blinked with surprise.

"Yes. It takes NightPack, DawnPack, and WindPack just to give Rosengun alone a few scratches and a bruise. Didn't Natt tell you that?" Shiekra turned to the small husky male. Taiki shrugged; he couldn't remember.

Suddenly, something knocked the wind out of Winry, and she fell to her paws. Shiekra howled and pinned the attacking shadow warrior to the ground, but it exploded into small wisps of shadow and sunk into the dusty ground.

"I hate Rosengun," Winry got to her paws and shook the grit out of her ear fur, then she ran into the cattails. Emmett and Taiki ran after her, leaving Shiekra to watch their vanishing tails.

"I better find Tundra before she gets herself killed," the black alpha female shrugged to herself and disappeared into the tall cattails as well.

~Chapter 7~

Rosengun and the Cave

"_Corroso was your father, a loyal and brave NightPack wolf. He had dark brown fur and black streaks, like you, my Rosengun. I can remember his red eyes to this day, and I also recall he had a peppered muzzle, but I am getting off track! He has saved NightPack's wolves and their reputations many times. You should be proud of him. I still respect him to this day. But, once, he did the unspeakable. He dug up Ice Flow Lake and acquired the Death Stone. He became the strongest wolf of all, and he took advantage of his newfound powers. Destroying all and leaving nothing behind. The old, old, OLD NightPack alphas banished him after rebuilding the pack, and no one ever saw him again. But you can relive Corroso's life, and make it better! You can do good for NightPack!" _

Rosengun could remember his mother's face like the light of day. She was a beautiful, cream-colored wolf named Silence. Her younger sisters, Wisk and Step, always helped take care of him, even though Silence put all her time and effort into caring for Rosengun and not for the pack.

She admired her mate, Corroso, and always told Rosengun of his adventures as a caring leader. Silence then told him about how Corroso wanted to become alpha male of NightPack and change all pack ways in all three packs, since SnowPack did not exist until a while before Taiki was born. The alphas did not agree, nor did anyone else. Not a lot of wolves supported any of his ideas after a while, in fear that he would take over all three packs with the power he would gain. And, in result, Corroso turned bad.

Rosengun thought about this as he watched Tundra, Taiki, Emmett, Winry, and Shiekra fight the shadow warriors made from his shadow element. The streaked male snorted and turned around, deciding to meet his children in the cave he told them to wait in.

Havoc and Jahika II's, his children's, faces reminded him of his dead mate, Jahika I, and the time they spent together…

"_Who's that, mother?" Rosengun asked Silence. _

_She replied, "That is Jahika, young Rosengun. She is Crown and Sara's daughter. Why don't you go say hello?" _

_Rosengun grinned happily, "Okay, mother! Hello, Jahika!" _

_The black, white, and brown female pup named Jahika snapped, "Who are you, mutt?!"_

…

"_Hey, Jahika! There's a deer!" Rosengun, now an omega, pointed at a white-tailed deer nibbling on a patch of grass. _

_Jahika snorted, "So what?" _

"_Well, why don't you try and catch it? You haven't caught anything so far," Rosengun hinted cheerfully. _

_Jahika sneered at him in disgust, "Why do I have to work for something I don't get in return? Why can't you catch it? What, are you crippled or something? Don't be so lazy, mutt."_

…

"_Jahika, we're finally betas! Do you want to celebrate?" Rosengun licked Jahika's ear, but she quickly pulled away. _

"_Don't touch me, mutt! And why would I want to celebrate?! It only brings meaningless joy and happiness to those who need it so badly because they can get pleasure out of anything else in life. Celebrations are for unhappy, negative idiots," Jahika spat at Rosengun's paws, then headed into the betas' den to make her new nest._

…

"_Jahika, I want to tell you something," Rosengun shuffled his paws nervously while watching Jahika messily eat a deer. _

"_Spit it out, mutt," Jahika replied without looking at him. _

"_I love you," Rosengun admitted._

_Jahika froze. _

Rosengun sighed. He truly loved Jahika I, even though for the longest time she called him mutt and treated him like dirt. But on that fateful day, when he admitted his love for her, she gave him all her love and affection, but then turned her evil side on the rest of NightPack.

Rosengun believed he got his attitude from her, and sometimes regretted it, but his evil conscience always told him he chose his evil path, and Rosengun listened to it.

His pads suddenly hurt, and Rosengun lifted his right paw to study the pebble digging into his pads. He took it out forcefully and quickly with his sharp teeth and spat it out onto the ground with hatred. Rosengun then looked ahead and into the cave he had set out for.

When he stepped inside, he felt his heart throb. This meant he was losing connection with his shadow element that he used to make the shadow warriors.

He shrugged to himself-if those five were dead, they were dead. If they were alive, they were weak, like all the other wolves in the packs. It was the same thing to him.

"Havoc! Jahika!" Rosengun called into the cave. His deep and rough voice echoed many times, then silence.

Suddenly, a light and rough bark echoed back at him, and he smiled. Jahika I was here-Havoc and Jahika II, his traitor children, were not.

Rosengun didn't really care for Havoc as much as he did for Jahika II. Havoc betrayed him during the war, and even though Jahika II fell in love with a DawnPack beta during the war as well, she kept her mother's attitude.

"Ah, Jahika!" Rosengun started to run, looking around for Jahika I's spirit. He wondered if he would be able to find her black-colored, sparkling spirit in this shadowy cave, but rejoiced when he saw Jahika I running towards him as well. They embraced, and stepped back from each other with smiles on their faces.

"So, _mutt_," Jahika smirked, "Where are our children?"

Rosengun sighed. No matter how many times he told her, Jahika I still wanted to believe their children were destroying the forest somehow, somewhere. "You know where they are. Havoc's traveling around the packland borders, protecting _them_. And Jahika II is living in DawnPack," Rosengun rolled his eyes.

Jahika I narrowed her eyes and licked his ear cheerfully, "Just making sure."

~*~

Winry bit the neck of a disappearing shadow warrior out of anger, then watched the shadowy wisps disappear into thin air.

"Well, that's the last of them," Shiekra declared, checking an annoyed Tundra for wounds. Emmett was looked Taiki up and down, while Winry had gone around and tore the shadowy wisps-the remains of the shadow warriors-to bits. Or she had tried to, anyway.

"We should track down Rosengun and give him what's coming to him!" Winry snapped, "Those warriors weren't the _last _of _anything_!"

"Calm down," Shiekra snarled. Winry huffed and circled around in a patch of fallen leaves. Taiki watched her, then twitched his ears when the bushes beside him and Emmett rustled.

Emmett leapt to his paws and stared at the bushes, frozen with fear, then shrugged and sat back down, declaring, "It's just DawnPack."

As Emmett had predicted, four DawnPack wolves crawled out of the bushes, their bright pelts bringing a cheerful light into the clearing. Blade came out first, closely followed by Shiny, Gray, then Kyo.

"Hi," Taiki waved his tail slowly at the small, orange DawnPack male. Kyo waved back solemnly, then put his tailtip to his muzzle, "Shiekra, Blade, and Tundra are talking."

Just then, Tundra turned to Emmett, Kyo, Taiki, Winry, Shiny, and Gray with a determined look in her eye, "We're launching an attack at moonhigh."

~Chapter 8~

Attack in the Moonlight

The moon shone like a diamond in the sky, shedding light on the small figures below. Only a few owls hooted on this silent night, and mice raced for their homes, for the air was thick with tension. It suffocated all of the animals of the forest, and the prey were waiting to see who would win-Rosengun or Moonlight.

It had been a battle for moons, and all of the animals populating the forest had heard it time and time again. Once, Rosengun asked Moonlight to be his mate. When the female brushed him off-like he was nothing-Rosengun retaliated and became evil. He ruined his good reputation in all of the packs, but in return, he gained power like no other.

All fear him and hate him, respect him and could care less about him.

The bodies in the clearing below belonged to the eight alphas of the four packs:

Tundra and Natt, who represent The Pack of Eternal Night.

Dawn and Blade, who represent The Pack of Fearless Dawn.

Shiekra and Pitch, who represent The Pack of Running Wind…

And Xhincha and Axel, who represent The Pack of Blinding Snow.

Tundra stood up and dipped her head to Xhincha and Axel, "I would like to thank the SnowPack alphas for attending this sudden Wolf-Circle Meeting. I would also like to bring up the topic of Rosengun for all of the wolves to hear." Tundra turned around and waved her tail in a large semi-circle, pointing at all of the waiting pack wolves in the bushes. The only way you could tell they were there was their scent and their glowing yellow eyes. All of the pack wolves, besides the old storytellers and young, weak pups, had attended the meeting.

Natt took Tundra's place and barked, "I know we are not at the Wolf-Circle, but we cannot risk meeting there at such a late time as this. Rosengun may know we set camp there when we last fought in a war, so this was the only place we could meet at the time. Now, about Rosengun. I have sent out two wolves to fetch Havoc, Rosengun's son, from the packland borders, and we will be stronger with both of Rosengun's children on our side. Rosengun's mother, father, and mate are dead, so it is only _him _we have to face."

"But you know that we can barely land scratches on that fiend!" Dawn argued, "It may be harder with these SnowPack wolves. They aren't exactly cooperative."

"How dare you insult SnowPack!" Xhincha's nostrils flared, and she hopped to her paws defensively. Axel, who was beside her, started to snarl. Both alphas glared at Dawn, but then Blade stood in front of his mate protectively.

Suddenly, Pitch hopped forward. His small figure wasn't menacing, but Dawn, Blade, Xhincha, and Axel all stepped back. They all knew Pitch used brute force when fighting, and even though he was the calmest alpha male in all four packs, they knew he would make them to be peaceful with each other. By force, if he had to.

"Thank you, Pitch," Natt dipped his head to the small, gray male, then turned to the other seven wolves again, "I want to have three rings of wolves around Rosengun. If he is in a cave, I want five semi-circles around the entrance. We will close up all holes in the circles, and we will charge at him at the same time.

"The most experienced and swiftest wolves will stay back, because Rosengun may use an attack that will take out the rings of wolves all at once. Those few will rush in as soon as he uses that attack, and they will do as much damage as possible.

"And I want the weaker of the wolves to use the elements that are the opposite of their pack elements to surprise Rosengun. That is the plan." Natt licked his paws and ran it over his ears self-consciously.

"We agree to that," Blade looked at Dawn, who nodded and said, "Yes! Blade is right. We both agree."

"That's a wonderful plan," Shiekra's eyes shone with warmth. Pitch nodded, "No flaws. Well, no plans have flaws against _Rosengun_. All of them will fail." Shiekra glared at Pitch, who grinned sheepishly, "I'm joking."

Xhincha looked at Axel, who blinked and turned to Natt, "Xhincha and I agree to join in your plan, Natt."

Tundra stood up and smiled, "It is settled. We will attack soon. I advise all wolves to get ready for the fight. Oh, and I forgot one important thing! We need to have two wolves in each camp to protect the storytellers and pups."

Xhincha snorted, "We have no storytellers and pups."

Tundra shrugged, "And Moonlight and Carlisle will want to fight. We have no storytellers and pups otherwise."

Dawn blinked and laughed, "Neither do we."

Pitch simply grinned. Shiekra laughed and barked, "Ditto!"

~*~

Moonlight and Carlisle stood at the top of a moonlit hill, eyes narrowed as they watched the long grass wave slowly below them. A great canyon separated the hill from the plateau across from them, and this is what distracted the couple from moving forward.

"Did Rosengun do this?" Carlisle turned to Moonlight, his icy blue eyes filled with worry.

Moonlight shook her head, "It was just an earthquake. That explains the shaking during the Meeting."

The pack wolves had retreated from the Wolf-Circle Meeting because of a sudden shaking. Tundra had commented that she was glad that she told NightPack and the other packs to retreat. Trees had fallen down, and rain coming from a nearby lake had started to flood the marshy area. "'The clearing is now completely destroyed,'" Moonlight whispered the words Tundra had reported to her only an hour earlier.

"We started this war, so lets get it over with, Moonlight," Carlisle urged her, "The past is gone now, and all the others are waiting on us. If we stay here, who knows what could happen."

Moonlight shook her head and looked at her paws sadly, "Alright." Then she turned around and barked to Tundra, "Move NightPack to the outside now! They've had their rest! And, Pitch, Dawn, Natt! Get all of the earth-elemented wolves to close up this canyon so we can move across!"

The three alphas nodded and raced into the crowd of wolves, while Tundra nodded and started talking to Vamwere and Ice Silk, the two top betas. Then both wolves broke off and started to tell their packmates the news.

Moonlight turned to Carlisle and smirked, "Well, _I'm _getting ready to go. What about _you_?"

Carlisle simply smiled and waved his tail in response.

Suddenly, Tundra scampered up to them and said, "We're all ready. While you were talking, we closed the canyon and got everyone ready."

Moonlight grinned, "It's Carlisle's fault."

"What?!" the gray-and-white wolf yelped, "If anything, it's Moonlight's moping that took us so long! Don't blame your past on me!"

"Oh, really? You could have left me. I can handle myself pretty well at an old age, you know," Moonlight turned around and snarled playfully at Carlisle, who kicked dust over Moonlight's paws and huffed.

Blade appeared at the top of the hill and howled down to them, "Rosengun destroyed the packlands while we were gone."


	3. Part 3: Chapter 9

~Chapter 9~

The Civil War

Fire looked at the four packs from Long Shadow Hill, his amber eyes narrowed. His bronze pelt ruffled and dirty from not having a good night's sleep, he turned back to Rosengun, snarling, "Are you sure we will win? And lose none?"

Rosengun shuffled his paws, "I will not be injured. Isn't that your priority? You said so yourself."

Fire almost hissed-since wolves can't hiss-and looked back at the four packs on the horizon. Fire was known for his faux sincerity and cunning, and he knew that Rosengun would figure that out sooner or later, if he hadn't already now. When Fire had made the deal with him to take over the packlands, he had convinced the former NightPack wolf with the words:

"_We will protect you with our lives."_

Fire then looked back at The Pack of Undying Power, his pack. In times of uncertainty like this, Fire needed an alpha female by his side to support his decisions. Unfortunately, Star-the former alpha female-had disgraced the pack and died a long time ago.

The cause of her death was not even to be spoken of or thought of. Fire didn't dare betray that rule now.

Now that the bronze male looked back at PowerPack, he could see the sadness plain on their faces. Fire had taken the top beta female position away from the pack once Star had died, so there was only a top beta male left. That male, Bramble-a dark brown male with black patterns and glowing yellow eyes-was now shivering because of the cold. Bramble signaled to Fire, and the bronze male left Rosengun to think and approached his successor.

"Are you sure we should follow this…this loser?" Bramble whispered. Both males knew Rosengun could hear them no matter how low the tone of their voices, but Bramble uttered insults about him anyway.

"We need to take back the land that is ours. Rosengun is the only way. How bad could it be? It takes three packs just to cut his skin? That's pathetic. This'll be easy as eating rabbits," Fire snarled.

Bramble licked his lips-rabbit was his favorite piece of prey, and Fire knew it, "So, we follow this punk until we gain the packlands back? The packlands of our ancestors?"

"Yes, my friend. But I am not so sure Rosengun will be willing to give us back what is ours," Fire sighed.

Bramble growled in frustration and leaned closer to Fire, "Then what is the point of fighting and injuring ourselves?!"

Fire sighed and looked up at a lone star in the sky, twinkling in the darkness, "Justice. Loyalty. Revenge."

Bramble huffed, "You've been too interested in that kind of stuff! What about your pack? Star would never allow this-"

"SHE'S DEAD! BRAMBLE, SHE'S DEAD!" Fire snarled. The other PowerPack wolves raised their heads at the sudden shouting. Bramble shrunk down at the name of his sister, then bowed his head and snuck away.

"That's right, Fire. She's dead," Bramble shook his head and disappeared into the crowd.

Moonlight, Tundra, and Dawn stood on a small slope, waiting for dawn to break. Suddenly, a small light on the horizon shone, and Moonlight suddenly trembled with fear.

"Go on, say it," Dawn and Tundra urged her.

Moonlight gulped, then howled, "CHAAARGE!"

Hundreds of wolves piled over the slope, howling and yelling insults at Rosengun, who awaited them at the opposite side. Rosengun and the members of PowerPack howled back and ran towards them as well.

The first wolves to clash were Moonlight and Claw, an omega of PowerPack. Even though he wasn't that experienced, the white male named Claw was a good fighter, and Moonlight-one of the strongest wolves in the packs-had trouble defeating him.

Yet Moonlight ended up throwing him over Fire and Tundra, who were fighting each other as well.

Carlisle was knocked into Moonlight, who helped him defend himself against Bramble.

In all of the fighting, Rosengun was nowhere to be seen.

The pack wolves all passed along that piece of news, and when Moonlight heard it, she snarled, "That rat! He always hides out until we get tired."

Carlisle nodded in agreement, then jumped onto Bramble and sunk his teeth into Bramble's neck. The dark male howled in pain and shook the elderly male off of him and threw him to the ground.

Carlisle snarled in rage, then hopped to his paws, "Okay, time for the secret weapon!"

Moonlight's eyes widened, "No! You'll let them know-"

It was too late. Carlisle howled and opened his mouth. A beam of ice suddenly shot out from his tongue, and a frozen Bramble fell to the ground, paws flailing in mid-air and eyes wide with shock.

Moonlight stepped forward and prodded Bramble, "Carlisle, did you…kill him?"

"I PERSERVED him," Carlisle corrected, "He'll be alive for about 3 more minutes…"

"CARLISLE!"

"Fine! Fine," Carlisle rolled his eyes and rubbed his fore paws over the block of ice containing Bramble. The ice suddenly broke apart, and Bramble lay on the ground, panting.

Bramble dipped his head to Carlisle many times, "Oh, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't be fighting my kin-"

Carlisle chuckled, "Hey, we're not kin. I came from America. I might be more dog than you are. But, you can join NightPack, if you'd like."

Bramble's eyes shined, "I will, oh great one!"

Carlisle smirked, "I'm not that great-"

"Carlisle, Carlisle!" Taiki ran up to Bramble, Carlisle, and Moonlight panting, "I sighted Rosengun!"

Moonlight's eyes shined with rage and happiness at the same time, "Really? Where is he?"

Taiki laughed suddenly, "He's angry because the PowerPack wolves are slowly joining the packs."

Carlisle nudged Bramble, "Like this one, here."

Taiki looked Bramble up and down, then back at the two storytellers, "Well, I think it's time to fight Rosengun."

Moonlight nodded and howled, "CHAAAARGE!"

The NightPack, DawnPack, WindPack, and SnowPack wolves all nodded simultaneously, then got into the formation of circles they were supposed to be in. Then, they charged.

Rosengun snarled as Taiki and Winry leapt onto Rosengun at the same time, reaching for his neck. Elements and attacks from the other wolves helped Taiki and Winry slow him down and kept him from attacking anyone. "You've gotten old, Rosengun!" Tundra howled as she leapt over the rows of wolves and pinned Rosengun to the ground.

Rosengun's eyes widened as Tundra lunged and snapped his neck with her jaws. Then she moved back to let the dying Rosengun see Moonlight.

Moonlight snarled, "Die, fiend." Then she brought down a shadowy paw on Rosengun's neck. The streaked wolf gagged and flailed his paws, but he was finally silent and still.

"The packs prevail!!!" Moonlight howled.

The other wolves howled as well. Finally, the terror of the packs…was dead.


End file.
